do you believe in Moon Phase? (planning what week to hunt Kansas)

[BradLantz]

http://www.almanac.com/moon/calendar/KS/Hoxie/2011-10


according to this, full moon in Hoxie, KS is October 11 9:07 pm

New Moon is Octboer 26th at 2:56 pm

 http://www.almanac.com/moon/calendar/KS/Hoxie/2011-11

there is November, and I normally like to hunt the first or second week of November

according to the above, I can expect a first quarter moon on Nov 2nd at 11:38 am ... the full moon comes back in on Nov 10th at 2:18 pm


 Ya'll tell me - does moon matter?  How would ya'll play this if you believe moon phase matters?

[Blaino]

i think deer will walk a lot more during the nights of full moons....

usually, i try to hunt during the middle of the day during thoes periods.  its hard to do during the early part of the season with the weather being crazy hot.

[Bowmania]

"there is November, and I normally like to hunt the first or second week of November"  Just to correct you it's first AND second week.

I don't like the full moon as what Blaino stated.  But when it comes to legal shooting time, I feel the rut is the same every year, just more intense when the new moon is the first week in NOV.

I'll be in Stockton, KS.

Bowmania

[BradLantz]

Bowmani - I mean I plan a 1 week trip to western Kansas, some years its the first week of Nov, some years its the second. I've never hunted two full weeks in a row because of vacation time, being away from family etc.

[snakebit40]

Bowmania and BradLantz- You guys will be hunting in my neck of the woods! Give me a shout if you aren't seeing any deer. BTW if you don't mind me asking, who do you guys hunt with around here? PM me if you want if not thats fine

[Orion]

Deer definitely move and, during the rut, breed more during a full moon and tend to lay up most of the day.  I'm retired now and have the luxury of hunting both, but definitely prefer the new moon.

[straitera]

Full moon changes deer movement during daylight hours because they feed much of the night especially in hard hunted areas. Try middle of the day. Seen some good ones straight up noon.

[Bow man]

My belief is to hunt when the moon is directly overhead no matter what the phase is. Deer move when the moon is up daytime or nighttime hunt the 26th if possible

[JJB2]

I do.  I've been following the Charles Alzheimer study (Deer and Deer Hunting) since the onset.  I now longer care for the magazine cause it's mostly horn porn now and tons of crossbow ads but I buy one copy a year.  The rut/moon phase forecast.  It's been pretty dead on every year.  I've seen the peak of breeding activity vary from the 3rd week of Oct to the 3rd week of Nov and the intensity of ruts vary from year to year in coordination with the timing of the hunter's moon.

[Bowwild]

As a bowhunter/biologist since 1977 I don't put any stock in moon phases at all. I'm familiar with the research and know that some of it, especially some that lead to commercial products was "cooked". That written, if your outfitter, landowner, etc. has documented certain movements under specific conditions I imagine it would pay to be mindful.

Personally, my favorite pre-dawns are those where I am paralled by moon shadows as I slip to my stand.

However, I realize how much of bowhunting has to do with confidence; your shooting, your equipment, set-up, wind, light, etc. I wouldn't poo-poo anyone's beliefs in these things.  For me, I go every chance I can -- except when it is raining or threatening rain. I have never lost a blood trail to rain and I have no intention of stacking the deck against me.

It is amazing how "flexible or fickle" some deer are. When you watch them move about, for some deer it takes very little disturbance or enticement to get them to take one step either oblique right or left to change where they end up 1/4-1/2 mile away. A spooked squirrel, bird, other deer, or errant odor can influence the deer's travel route as much as anything.

[Jmatt1957]

If the tempetures are in the normal range for that time of year, the calander is spot on.

[ksbowman]

Do whatever Alvis says! He'll know what is right.

[Terry Green]

I learned and witnessed long ago...not only in hunting, but fishing as well that the moon can dictate under normal circumstances.

The rut and weather fronts can force move deer no matter the moon, and other forces....but under normal circumstances, paying attention to the moon has reaped BIG dividens for me.

I always hunt 'through lunch' if I can during a full moon.  I can't tell you how many encounters I've had between 10:30 and 1:00 during a full moon.  If I told you what all I've witnessed mid day during a full moon, while others were in camp eating lunch, you would not believe me.

I do hunt closer to bedding areas during that time....and that I believe also plays a big part of me being in the middle of it during mid day.

I NEVER discount hunting during a full moon.  I also like to hunt in the rain, not a driving rainstorm, but a steady rain or drizzle.  I just choose my shot a little more selectively, and when I have done that, I haven't needed a blood trail.

I have found that most animals don't react to the shot in the rain due to the overwhelming 'static' of noise in the woods, and a double lunged critter don't usually travel more than 50 yards.

These are my findings...and I found out by staying in the woods during a full moon AND during the rut no matter the moon. This was told to me by an old timer a long time ago....and he was right....I owe him greatly for my mid-day memories.

[Montanawidower]

I second Terry's post.  I agree with every word of it.  He kind to beat me to it.    

 I'll add to that I pay attention to the llamas, and horses around my place.  They seem to be in synch with the local deer herd.  I guess they are reacting to the same cues.  Weather,wind, moon,light etc.  

PS ignore cattle... they never seem to stop eating  

[Mojostick]

I don't adhere to the theory that moon phase totally dictates the rut dates, because too many really good deer biolgists say that photo-period (diminishing daylight) is the kick start of the rut, along with the fact that fawns are dropped about the same time every following spring due to many reasons, meaning that the doe's are bred about the same time every year, regardless of weather or moon phase.

That said, in my 35 years of bowhunting, a dead calm full moon evening invariably means a lone red squirrel sighting was about the highlight of the evening sit.

Not to say the rut isn't happening, but just not usually when you're hunting.

This fall, the new moon is October 26 and the full moon is Novenber 10. At least for me, I've already made my plans to take all my major time off from Oct. 25 thru November 4. I plan on hunting everyday, those dates. I likely will only hunt a few times before those dates, to knock the rust off and just get out. But it will not be happening in my great spots.

Stand burnout is the bowhunters achilles heel. If one keeps good records, I bet he'll find that the very first time he's hunted a location results in a very eventful sit, but after 2-3 sits, regardless of how great the location, sightings often crash. Too many bowhunters hunt their best spots way too early, when it's hot and deer really aren't moving, but they've laid down scent and spooked deer, no matter how cautious we all are. You cannot beat the "nose". My advice it to save your best spots for the best dates, and winds. Don't hunt your couple best spots until the chase period has just started.

Not to say you can't kill a deer, even great deer, on any date, in any weather. But the initial chase period of the rut, when the majority bucks are still alive and hoofbound, all day, for the first time all year, and still "stupid", is your best time to intercept a good buck, before he's educated or killed by another.

Just my opinion, but it's really worked well for me in my local area for heavily pressured northern Michigan. I can't speak for area's with far less pressure.

[Jake Fr]

not true on cattle when they are in corner of pasture or EATING during time when normaly chewing cud something is gonna happen like rain or snow other than that they just eat other than that i have found the best week to hunt deer here in ks is the week befor thanksgiving thing are usaly prety good for deer

[adeeden]

As briefly mentioned above I pay more attention to moon position than phase. When the moon straight overhead and straight underneath (12 1/2 hours after it's above) I always see deer movement.

I do not know why it works but it does. I think this is part of the reason that Terry mentioned that he see's good movement on full mooon periods mid day.

[Terry Green]

For the record....due to MOJO's post...I did not say that moon phase dictates the rut....just when I see more deer activity based on years of hunting an paying attention to the moon and sightings.

[Mojostick]

I was pointing out deer activity based on moon phase. Or at least trying to do so. In fact, I gave dates when many can expect to see increased daylight activity.

I dismissed the moon phase's effect on the rut, since photo-period dictates the rut dates, year in and year out. But, in my experience, moon phase can impact daylight activity. And daylight activity is what hunters focus on.

The "rut" is more than just the rut itself. There's the seeking phase, the chase phase, the breeding stage (lockdown), etc.

It's the chase period that most hunters think of when they think "the rut" and it's also when most daylight activity is seen by hunters.

Mentioning the rut takes deer activity into account. Many confuse the "October lull" with just normal daylight activity. All the "October lull" is IS normal daylight activity, until the chase period starts.

For many hunters, the chase period of the rut is when they'll see the most activity and have what they consider to be the best hunting (most enjoyable/exciting).

But even then, my experience is the chase period mixed with a full moon kills daylight activity (hunting) and a new moon mixed with the chase period results in those hunts where the memories that last a lifetime are made.

[Mojostick]

I should clarify one thing, this may merely be the case in the north, where the rut is often quite defined and often intense as a light switch. In the south it may be a completely different story, where you may have a much more subtle and drawn out "rut", resulting in daylight deer activity, thus sightings.